Correlation between peripapillary macular fiber layer thickness and visual acuity in patients with open-angle...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Open-angle glaucoma (OAG) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness.
• Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) is a key indicator of glaucomatous damage.
• Assessing the relationship between RNFLT and visual acuity is crucial for disease management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and RNFLT in various peripapillary regions in OAG patients.
• To identify specific RNFLT sectors most strongly associated with visual acuity deficits.

Main Methods:

• Studied 229 eyes from 159 OAG patients.
• Measured overall and quadrant-specific RNFLT using Stratus optical coherence tomography (OCT).
• Analyzed RNFLT in three 30-degree sectors of the temporal region, including the mid-temporal (mT) sector.
• Correlated RNFLT measurements with BCVA using Spearman correlation analysis.

Main Results:

• Significant correlations were found between BCVA and overall RNFLT, as well as RNFLT in the superior, temporal, and inferior quadrants.
• The strongest correlation (r = -0.40, P < 0.0001) was observed between BCVA and RNFLT in the mT sector.
• Twenty-one percent of eyes had decreased BCVA (<20/20), with a cut-off mT sector RNFLT of 39.0 µm for decreased visual acuity.

Conclusions:

• The strong correlation in the mT sector is likely due to the maculopapillary bundle's location.
• RNFLT in the mT sector is a significant predictor of visual acuity in OAG.
• A reduction in mT sector RNFLT to approximately 40 µm warrants reconsideration of glaucoma treatment strategies.